Second Coming
by A Guy Named Goo
Summary: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it... (Rating for somewhat violent and gory scene.) Chapter Three now up.
1. The New Regime

Disclaimer- I don't any of the characters from FF7. I do own some of the characters in this fic. Hopefully you can tell the difference, and if you can't, well, thanks. I am trying desperately to prove that FF7 OCs can exist without being Mary Sues. I may fail, and if I do feel free to hack me up on the Mary Sues comm on LJ. I step into this experiment knowing full well I may fail. And please excuse the unoriginal title. Same old same old: it was late and I was tired.

**Second Coming**

**By A Guy Named Goo**

**Chapter One: The New Regime**

Although on one side of the glass utter pandemonium was breaking out, on the other side was nothing but stony silence, an uneasy silence that filled the already too-small, too-hot, and too-tense area of the observation room. Five figures in identical dark blue suits lined up before the long window, which started at more or less their hips and extended up past the head of even the tallest one, and was just wide enough for all of them to stand side-by-side and get a view of the chaos that was ensuing before them, eyes reflecting varying degrees of shock, horror, dismay, and discontent as they watched the brutallity that was befalling one of their own, their faces otherwise the stony and impassive masks that they had been trained to adopt for the frontlines.

Another splatter of blood, this time striking the window that separated the sanity from the insanity. The young man in front of that part of the glass turned pale, and he took a step back for a moment. The only woman on that side of the glass looked at the boy for a moment, then at the smear on the glass. Blood in and of itself was nothing to alarm these violent people, but as it slid down the glass pane the woman could see what had upset him: as the components separated, the clear plasma was glowing mako green. making the stain radiate an alien luminesence.

The others had also turned their eyes toward the rookie, and under their scrutiny he finally straightened, took a deep breath, and took his place once more, twisting around to try to see past the stain without bumping into one of his superiors. The veteran turned her single eye back to the scene going on before them, and the others followed suit. She wanted to tell the boy he was dismissed, but she knew she couldn't. They were here under orders; the horrors inside were an example for them all, and even the rookie understood that.

Still, being forced to witness a birth shouldn't have been as horrific as it was. Having had two sons of her own (the youngest of which was the same age as the new recruit, a fact that never escaped the old veteran's mind), she knew that childbirth was a horribly painful ordeal, but not as...messy as it was right now. If it weren't for the significance of this particular birth, she would have been sure they were making it worse on purpose, slicing and dicing as they pleased. But there was a sense of urgency that even trailed into the silence of the soundproof room. They seemed to be genuinely determined to preserve the life of the woman.

Someone ran to grab some piece of equipment, accidentally turning on the speaker between in the soundproof room. A loud tone sounded through, the sound of a monitor registering no heartbeat. Urgent voices were coming through:

"She's bleeding over here!"

"We've got a pumper over here, give me that damn clamp!"

"Still asystole..."

"Charge the paddles to three-fifty!"

"He's out!"

With that last proclamation, a blanket was handed to one of the masked surgeons. A bundle was wrapped and whisked out of the room to be attended to, while the surgeons continued their attempts to save the woman's life. A new tone sounded, rising in intination as the paddles charged.

"Clear!" the surgeon holding them yelled, and all the hands fled from the lifeless body. The "thump" of her body jerking up with electricity, and still the tone from the monitor didn't stop. "Again! Clear!" The paddles barely had time to charge, and the futile exercise was repeated.

"Doctor, still asystole..." the masked woman near the monitor said. "Are you going to call it?"

"The president said to do what we can to keep her alive, dammit! Clear!"

Another shock, still nothing.

"Doctor, you _did_ do all you could. She's gone."

A few of the suits on the other side of the glass shifted, their impassive masks threatening to fade for a moment. The veteran turned toward the rookie and gestured with her head for him to approach. He stopped trying to get a good view and answered her silent order. She took a step back, forced him into her spot, and then walked over to take his. This was a horrible thing for someone who had never even seen a mission to behold without having to stare at that blood. From her days in SOLDIER, the veteran knew what mako-infused blood looked like when it was spilled. She could be strong and stare at it.

Suddenly, the tone of the monitor was gone. The paddles were silent. There was nothing but silence for a few moments. The surgeon sighed, then looked up at the clock. "Record this. Time of death: 4:54 Midgar Standard Time." A man standing off to the side, wearing scrubs and holding a blood splattered clipboard, did as he was told, recording the time of death.

The veteran's eye swept over the other four Turks again. All four were silent, still, and although they were hiding it well, shaken to their very souls. With a humorless smile, she realized that the president's idea of an example had worked: they would obey their orders and never betray any information.

"Call transport and have them bring her down to the furnace for cremation ASAP," the doctor ordered, still not taking off his mask.

"What?! Why?!" the female assistant cried, voicing what the Turks couldn't.

The doctor sighed, pulling out tubes and clamps from the body. "Records say the last mother died in childbirth and then lived on as a revenant. We don't want another wraith wandering around. Besides, that's the president's orders." He lifted the sheet up, and only a bit of her blonde hair stuck out from one end, her feet sticking out from the other. He stepped out of the room, and the others looked at one another before attending to their assigned tasks.

And like someone had flipped a switch, the other five Turks were suddenly animated. Tseng sighed and looked at the floor, muttering under his breath "I guess Elena won't be talking anymore." Zanya, the veteran, would have commented on the insensitivity if his voice hadn't sounded so broken. Although he had no particular attachment toward the talkative woman, she had been assigned with him so many times he was as close to her as he would ever get to another person.

"So that's it? You're just going to...leave now?" Kaji, the young Wutaian who had taken Elena's place after she got "reassigned" cried in outrage. Well, at least he wasn't showing indifference or disregard for the woman who had given her life for his position, Zanya thought. Although being so young and having never seen a war, she almost wish he had some degree of the seeming indifference the others had to prove himself worthy of a job with the Turks.

"Now...we're going downstairs to the bar," Reno said. He'd leaned against the wall after the doctor had called Elena's time of death, hands in his pockets and eyes on the floor. Of all of the Turks, Zanya had a feeling he was the one most affected by what had just taken place.

Rude nodded, reaching up to readjust his sunglasses. He was stolid as always, his reaction to what had happened unreadable. "Sounds good," he said, turning to face the exit with the rest of the Turks. Rude, along with Zanya, had been present to speak on Elena's behalf when she was first brought before the disciplinary board for supposedly leaking information to a resistance group. Although he hadn't said much, Rude had tried his best to defend his comrade in arms. It had been mostly in vain: the board had ruled that she would be given to the science department for the Neo-Jenova Project. "If she lives, she's free," the board chairman had ruled. "But if she doesn't, she'll have met the punishment she deserves as a traitor to our organization." The look in Elena's eyes had said she would rather the chairman taken out a gun and shot her on the spot. And then, for nine months, the woman had disappeared to be replaced with Kaji. This was the first they had seen of her in nine months, and the last they would ever see of her.

The door to the room opened, and a man in a blue Shinra military uniform stood on the other side. "President said you're all free to go. Tell anyone what you saw and what you know, and you're all going to be gifts to the science department," he said gruffly, with a twist of a smile on his lips. Zanya wondered if he understood the words he was parroting. He certain seemed to understand the underlying threat, at any rate. She glared at him, her single green eye glowing dimly. He shrunk back from the woman, then turned to leave entirely.

Zanya clapped her hand on Kaji's shoulder. "It's about all we _can_ do right now," she said calmly. "What you saw today was a tragedy. If you don't want to see another, I suggest you get reassigned. The new regime isn't anything like the last two." Brief as they were. Tseng snorted at the mention of the word "regime" in relation to Shinra's power, but he didn't argue. Why argue with someone you agree with?

Kaji tried to look back into the room, at the blood-splattered window, but Zanya guided him out of the room...just in time for him to see Elena's body being taken out of the room on gurney, the sheet over her clinging to her body with damp red splotches.

"God, I really need a drink," Reno said, sounding like he was going to be sick. He turned and pointedly walked away, not looking back once. The others followed his example without further discussion.

ooooooooooo

Dawn's first rays fell harshly on the sleeping figure of Cloud Strife, after a long night of tossing and turning in his fevered nightmares within the Kalm Inn. Sweating profusely, he shot up in his bed, glowing blue eyes wild and unfocused for a moment. He looked around at his surroundings, confused for a moment as to where he was. _Who_ he was. His skin was crawling, and for the first time in a long time he thought he felt the alien virus slithering through his veins like a foreign invader. He clawed at the invisible bugs that raced up and down his arms futily, and his entire body felt like a traitor to him.

His heart rate slowed. The sensation that his skin was crawling subsided, and the fever that had gripped his body for too long broke. For the first time in months, comprehension and intelligence could be seen in his eyes rather than feral madness. His mind and body were his own again, for the time being.

The room was locked. No one had known what else to do with the derranged young man who crawled to town one day, babbling incoherantly about meteors and mako and lifestream. The doctor had said there was nothing they _could_ do. If he had been in the city of Midgar they could have institutionalized him, but without those facilities they had to make due with what they had. To keep him from being a risk to himself or others the docto had kept him heavily sedated most of the time. He'd almost immediately spiked a fever, and all traces of humanity had drained from his glowing eyes.

And now, just three months shy of a year, the nightmare was over. The routine was still sharp in the blonde's mind, even if the ordeal itself was mercifully fading. He tried to grasp some of the jumbled thoughts and nightmares to hopefully piece together the meaning behind his sudden, horrifying illness, but like a hurricaine it seemed to be blowing away, leaving nothing but the destruction in it's wake.

The sheets were soaked with the sweat from his fever, and leaning forward slightly Cloud seized the blanket that was draped losely over him, wrapping himself securely in it to fight the sudden chill. It was winter. His last coherant memory was of springtime, of wandering against the wishes of his new friends, of the swift construction of a new Shinra building and suddenly being struck with the futility of his entire mission. He'd left ostensibly to find a more permenant solution to the problem that Shinra posed, but in actuality he hadn't had a clue where he was going. He just wasn't sure what he'd do if he stayed in Midgar with Tifa, as she'd asked him to. Ever since the final confrontation, the realization of what had been done to him, he hadn't trusted himself in any way around anyone. He was just glad when his suspicions were confirmed and he finally snapped, he was locked away from the public where he couldn't hurt anyone.

The door opened, and the town doctor was creeping in slowly, expecting to have to fight the young man into drinking down the bitter tranquilizer. Into eating and drinking and other neccessities of life. Sensing things seemed different now, he looked up at Cloud, into his eyes. When he saw comprehension there, he started, then cleared his throat. If the boy was recovered, then maybe he could communicate with his patient at last.

"Sir, do you know where you are?" he asked slowly, placing the blue bottle on a table and taking a small flashlight from the pocket of his jacket.

Cloud looked around. He was sure any answer would have confirmed his return to sanity, but he wanted to make sure he had the place right to further affirm his coherancy. "The inn at Kalm, right?"

Such an accurate answer seemed to be a pleasant surprise to the doctor, who shined the light in Cloud's eyes, checking his pupils. "Yes, that's right. You've been here for nine months. Do you remember anything else? What's your name?"

"Cloud," he said simply, following the doctor's finger with his eyes without having to recieve the order. "I...went crazy."

The doctor nodded and looked down sadly, taking Cloud's wrist between his thumb and index finger and looking at his watch. When he was done, he seemed satisfied with the result. "Mako poisoning, we believe," he said. "We never thought you'd recover from it. If you were still here after a year we were going to call Shinra to come and place you in an asylum. This place isn't equipped to handle cases such as yours, you understand. The only reason you weren't moved was I asked that you be kept here for a while. So what happened? Reactor explosion? Fall into a mako well? After the Crisis a lot of them opened."

So _that's_ what it was called now. Cloud honestly didn't know what happened, but rather than sending the doctor in search of answers, he nodded once, pulling the blanket further up his bare chest. "Yeah. Fell in a mako well. Thought if I dragged myself to a town I could get some help before the poisoning got bad." It was a bad lie, but the doctor seemed willing to buy it. Maybe he thought the falter in his voice came from months of dementia and near catatonia.

"I'm afraid I can't fix some of the effects," the doctor said grimly. "You'll always have that glow to your eyes, and you may still be prone to blackouts or fits of dementia or aggression. I can't guarantee that this lucidity will last. My advice is as soon as you're fit to travel again, go to Midgar. They have facilities for treating mako poisonings there. Maybe they can help."

Cloud sighed. One part of the doctor's statement was accurate, and a very real fear for him: he didn't know if this lucidity would last. How long until he slipped back into insanity? Maybe if he could find out what had caused it the first time...was Midgar the answer? Could it have something to do with the new Shinra Corporation that had risen from the ashes of the old one? Did he _want_ to start in Midgar? He didn't really have any other starting points...

"I'll do that," he said, softly, sincerely. Mostly to the advice to go to Midgar, not to the treatment.

The doctor nodded and turned to leave. "Your clothes are in the chest at the foot of your bed. Your weapon was checked at the front desk when you got here. When you go to leave, please come and see me for a final check-up." The doctor suddenly chuckled a bit. "If you run into anyone on the road, you can just tell them you're with SOLDIER."

Cloud flinched, but the doctor was gone without noticing it. Did SOLDIER still exist? Were the recruits still treated like they were when he'd joined? Did it matter? Sighing, he got up and slowly began to get his life back together, preparing to return to Midgar...

ooooooooooo

Zanya was an "old-timer", a relic of Shinra past. She'd seen four presidents come to power in her day (including the current), but this was nothing as the power in Shinra had shifted three times in the past two years. But most couldn't remember President Adalai Shinra, who had been the company leader when she'd gotten involved with the company.

A Midgar native, stories said that Zanya had once been the "jewel of the slums", a lovely and smart girl that everyone was certain would run a business, get married, and raise a family. No one dreamed of her entertaining thoughts of joining the military until she turned sixteen and announced she was joining the army. Friends and family had discouraged her, saying the military was no place for a pretty young girl. But her mind was made up.

Zanya rose the ranks to SOLDIER First Class in short order, one of the first women to ever do so. She gained notoriety in the war in Wutai, where she lost her right eye. In her service in SOLDIER she'd gained more scars, her face marred by them as well as her hardened, battle-weary expression. The jewel of the slums was now a rather homely sight. Before her looks were gone for good, she'd had two sons, both of which the fathers of were unknown (although it _is_ known she got pregnant both times while serving with SOLDIER, causing rumors of her being less than a virtuous woman with the men in her unit).

Finally, when age and a back injury meant she would have to retire from SOLDIER, Zanya had demanded that she have a position elsewhere in the company's elite military, and had been recommended to the Turks. "It's light work, all in all," her commanding officer had explained. "She's a born leader and a sharpshooter. Let the young ones do the more labor intensive stuff." So she had been transferred to the Turks.

Now Zanya stood in the president's quarters for the first time in years, in her tidy dark blue suit. Her long, graying black hair was plaited down her back, and her single glowing green eye was fixed on the chair that was turned away from her in the center of the room. She had never met President Amunet Shinra, who rumor had it was probably a distant relative of the Shinra dynasty at best and most likely usurper to the "throne". This was odd, because Zanya couldn't remember _anyone _saying they had seen the new president face to face. Even though he wasn't in the president's position long, Zanya had at least _seen_ President Rufus Shinra.

And technically, she wasn't seeing him now. He seemed to pointedly be sitting back-to her. His voice was oddly soft when he spoke, but still as piercing as a knife. "Zanya Whitelight...you really are an impressive creature. When I was looking for someone to fill two very different positions, your name came up both times. It seems you're quite versitile."

Zanya bristled at the casual use of her little-known family name, but gave the proper response to a compliment from the president. "Thank you, sir."

A cigar seemed to appear out of no where, the hand holding it barely visible in the darkened office. "You and the other Turks in your division were witnesses to a certain event this morning. I'm certain I don't need to explain it to you: you were also present at the court martial and setancing of your colleague."

"Neo-Jenova Project, sir," Zanya all but muttered. She was certain that the devestating failure of the first project meant nothing but bad things for the second, and just hoped she was dead and in the ground when it decided to blow up in their faces, probably literally.

The cigar disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared. "I want to get you involved, Whitelight. I am certain you could be a key in keeping the failures of the last Jenova Project from repeating themselves."

Zanya's eye widened. "Me? Why me? I'm not a scientist."

"It's not more scientists we're looking for," President Shinra assured her. "For one, we need body guards. We wanted to get the Turks in on it, and naturally your name came up. No matter who we assign to assist you, you'll be able to keep them in line, I'm certain. So you have that job. But for the other, it's the more personal details of your life that we focused on."

She hardly had time to register the reassignment (promotion?) when she realized what the president has said. "Personal details, sir?"

"You're a mother," he said plainly. "And a good one, if the rumors are true. People describe you as patient and nurturing, but at the same time firm and strict. A good leader and a good maternal figure. We got this information from soldiers who served with and under you, as well as from your sons."

Zanya had to say, she was rather flattered. It'd been a while since she'd seen her sons: the eldest was one of the highest ranking officers at the Junon base, and the youngest was currently climbing the ranks in the army with his ultimate goal being to join the Turks (and bypass SOLDIER, unlike his mother). The young Turk-in-the-making was another reason she wanted to make sure nothing happened to Kaji.

"That's a...kind thing to say, sir," Zanya said, still confused as to what this had to do with anyhing. Her abilities as a mother seldom played any role in his military life.

The cigar disappeared again, and this time didn't reappear for a few moments. "Our records state that part of Sephiroth's psychological conditioning may have come from him being raised in a harsh, military-driven environment. He had no parents that he knew of, and no one showed him any affection. Aside from being mislead about his true nature, of course. We were hoping this time around the mother could be spared, but sadly she is gone. We need a mother for the next incarnation. Although he's powerful, we have engineered in him a physical weakness. He is a test. If the nurturing environment produces the results we're hoping for, we'll try for another Sephiroth. Aside from the value of the Ancients on the whole, his military expertise was invaluable."

"Wait..." Zanya interrupted, apparently forgetting she was speaking to the president. "You want _me_ to be that child's mother?"

President Shinra apparently forgave the momentary transgression. "Adoptive mother, yes. Aside from protecting him physically, we believe you have what it takes to nurture him emotionally. Our research seems to agree."

Zanya closed her eye. She didn't want anything to do with this project at all. When it blew up in their face, she didn't want her good name attached to it. But on the other hand, some small part of her missed her days of motherhood, of raising her sons. Although a seasoned warrior who was jaded beyond redemption, the woman in her still couldn't bear the thought of a child being raised without a mother, especially when she had the chance to remedy that injustice. And maybe they were right: a little affection could be what kept the project from backfiring this time around.

"I'll do it, sir," Zanya said with a nod.

"It wasn't a request, Whitelight. It was an order. But I am glad you are on board. I'd hate to have to discipline a SOLDIER as decorated as you are," President Shinra said. "You're dismissed. Someone will be by your apartment later to escort you to where the child will be raised. Please have the things you want to take with you ready."

Zanya nodded, bowed slightly (although the president couldn't see it), and then left the dark office. What was she getting herself into?

ooooooooooo

Cloud stood outside the city of Midgar for a moment, apprehensive about completing his journey. On the one hand, it was really the only starting point he had. On the other hand, if he was unstable he couldn't become a risk to his friends once more. Sighing, he stared at the entrance to Sector One for a moment, the urban grunge killing the grass for miles before reaching the actual city.

Although Sector Seven had been mostly rebuilt, Midgar was currently functioning with only four reactors. The two that AVALANCHE had destroyed were still gone, as well as two others that had been torn down in the wake of the Crisis, a last-ditch effort to save the planet by other resistance groups. The huge monolith of the Shinra Headquarters had been the first to be rebuilt, and Sector Seven followed soon after. Mako electricity was now twice as expensive to make up for the reconstruction as well as the fact that half the reactors were missing, but the metallic skeletons of new reactors stretched into the sky.

_Those who don't learn from history... _Cloud thought bitterly, leaving the common phrase unfinished. Steeling himself, he took the last step under the plate, bidding a silent farewell to sunlight as he entered the dark, forboding, and too-familiar slums of lower Midgar...

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Bad Omens

Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter. And yes, I will find a way to explain Tseng suddenly being alive that is hopefully not terribly outrageous. Also, if you are reading this on FF.N I apologize for the format of the last chapter and will fix it. What happened was I did have pagebreaks (that will hopefully show up in this chapter), and for some really bizarre reason FF.N deleted them. If they don't show up again, this time I will reupload them with new pagebreaks.  
  
Second Coming  
  
By A Guy Named Goo  
  
Chapter Two: Bad Omens  
  
"Hey, 'nother round over here!" Reno exclaimed, pointing at his empty mug. The bartender rolled his eyes, muttered something about the Turks running off the rest of his business, and then collected the three mugs in front of the three men in suits.  
  
The mug out of the way, Kaji leaned over on the bar. It had been two weeks since that hellacious morning where they had witnessed their comrade's death, and life seemed to have gone back to normal for Shinra's "elite scouting team". Although what they had witnessed had left a dark cloud over everything they did, the events themselves went unspoken as part of a silent pact they had all made.  
  
"Hey, up you!" Reno ordered, practically hauling Kaji up by his collar. "Don't tell me you're a lightweight! You're supposed to be a Turk!"  
  
"It's not the booze!" the babyfaced Wutaian snapped. "It's just...eh, stuff." The mug was placed in front of him, and he took it and drank deeply from it. He was sitting between Reno and Rude, both Tseng and Zanya having orders that brought them elsewhere. In fact, it was Zanya's orders that were disturbing Kaji.  
  
"Stuff? What kinda stuff?" Reno asked over his mug before tipping it back. His sunglasses were threatening to slip off his forehead and into the glass.  
  
Kaji shrugged, putting the mug down and running his finger over the rim. His shaggy dark hair was falling in his eyes, but he didn't seem to notice or care. "I got an assignment."  
  
Reno laughed, clapping his hand on the boy's shoulder and laughing, leaning over a bit to face Rude's stony face. "You hear that, Rude? The kid here's finally gonna get wet behind the ears!" Rude grunted noncommittally and took a deep pull from his beer.  
  
"Not exactly," Kaji muttered. "I'm getting stationed with the old timer. Glorified babysitting duty. And I'm sure she had something to do with it. She's had it in for me ever since I got promoted to the Turks. She's probably just pissed 'cause....'cause...well, never mind." He knew the rest of the thought, but it would have been dangerously close to entering the "unspoken territory". He didn't want to cross that line.  
  
"Gah, that sucks," Reno said sympathetically. "Finally make it to Turks just to get a job changin' diapers. I'd've quit if they tried to do that to me. Right Rude?" This time the bald man gave no response.  
  
Kaji slid his beer away again to hide his face in his arms, his too-large suit jacket sleeves fanning out around his wrists. "Why don't they just give that old broad a gold watch and send her on her way? She's probably been around long enough to have shaken hands with an Ancient."  
  
Reno snorted. "They tried, man. And...what was it she said, Rude?" He didn't seem to honestly expect an answer, as he continued talking without waiting for a response. Apparently he just wanted to make the other Turk feel like he was a part of the conversation. "'If I am going to leave Shinra, it's going to be in a box'. Seriously, you usually have to breed mindless drones for that kinda loyalty. Apparently they see something in her, though. They keep bouncing her around from division to division in the company, finding a place for her. I think it's an insult to the Turks that they eventually dumped her with us! Don't they know we're the most dangerous, the best of the best?!"  
  
Kaji sat up again, looking at his watch. "All she's done from the first time I stepped foot in the Turks lounge is attach herself to me. It's a twisted obsession. She also seems hell-bent on gypping me out of all the best assignments and getting me all the shitty ones. I did not join the Turks to perform crowd control or watch some whiny little rugrat monster!"  
  
Reno shrugged. "It's just for a little while. The Turks are awful shorthanded, between the old timer and Tseng being kept mostly on light duty," And the absence of Elena, but that was left unsaid, like much during the night's conversation. "'Shinra can't afford to have a perfectly good Turk doing the grunt work any mindless army recruit could handle. Sides, just be glad you got in now instead of last year or the year before, when someone told ol' Hojo the SOLDIERs were off limits and he decided to turn the Turks into lab rats. Remember that Rude?" That actually did get a reaction in the form of an aggravated snort. "He stuck us with so many needles, put so many chemicals and other weird things in us...if we live to see forty without mutating into some horrible freak we'll thank the Gods."  
  
Kaji shuddered. "I saw that guy twice. That was enough, thanks."  
  
Reno nodded enthusiastically. "That's one thing from the Crisis that I am thankful for: Hojo disappeared, and Jojo's more fond of sticking needles in herself than other people." Professor Jozene Sakir, called Jojo as a joking homage to the last head of the Research Department, was the only person at the new Shinra, Inc. that was almost as mysterious as the president. She spent all of her time in her lab, and bad things happened to people who interrupted her mid-project. About the only time she laid off experimenting on herself was when the president gave her an assignment.  
  
Kaji stood up, rolling the sleeves of his blazer back up and unclipping his sunglasses from the front of it. About the only time all the Turks kept their uniforms in order was when they were facing the president, or being disciplined. "Well, it's been a blast fellas but tomorrow I face my fate. With any luck we can do this again soon."  
  
"We'll see ya around, kid," Reno said with a small salute, his sunglasses finally falling onto the bar. "And I mean that. We'll wrestle you from the old lady if we've gotta. Not healthy for a young man to spend all his time with old ladies and babies, or some shit like that."  
  
Kaji left the money for his drinks on the bar. "Thanks," he muttered, turning and leaving.

ooooooooo

"Is someone going to go and see if he has a pulse?" Yuffie asked from he spot on the beanbag chair in front of the large TV. Although she had returned to Wutai after the Crisis, just before Cloud's disappearance she had returned to Midgar, saying something about them not being able to keep her away. At first they were hesitant to let the young Materia thief join them full time, but she had seemed so hell-bent on having a position with the new AVALANCHE that Tifa and Barret couldn't send her away.  
  
"He's fine," Barret muttered, less than impressed by the mercenary's reappearance. Cloud had shown up at the doorstep of Tifa's new bar (named Cloud Nine as an homage to the man, much to his chagrin), muttered something about being sick, and passed out cold. He'd been sleeping ever since, occasionally waking up to get something to eat or perform other necessities, before dropping back into his deep sleep.  
  
Tifa sighed, leaning against the jukebox that doubled as an elevator. "I don't think he is, Barret. Maybe we should find a doctor somewhere..."  
  
Just as she suggested it, Cloud slunk into the living area from the general vicinity of a tiny corridor that lead to the sleeping quarters. He blinked his glowing blue eyes blearily, surveying his surroundings before throwing himself into one of the beanbag chairs.  
  
"Well, look who decided to join the world of the livin'!" Barret exclaimed, sounding more than just a bit annoyed. Tifa, on the other hand, walked over to Cloud's side, looking down at him with a worried expression.  
  
"Are you feeling better, Cloud?" she asked him gently.  
  
Cloud looked up at her like he hardly recognized her, before facing the floor again. "Yeah. A bit. Thanks."  
  
"What the hell is wrong with ya now?" Barret asked, stomping over to the still half-asleep blonde.  
  
Cloud looked up at the large man, then shrugged. "Hell if I know. I spent the last nine months in Kalm going crazy. Guess that and traveling took a lot out of me."  
  
Yuffie muted the TV and turned to look at Cloud. "Going crazy? Why?"  
  
Another shrug. "Dunno. That's kind of why I came back to Midgar. I didn't know where else to start. I've been getting the weird feelings and stuff I had when Sephiroth was still alive, too."  
  
A silence fell over the room. Finally, Barret stomped over to Yuffie and wrenched the remote from her hand, unmuting to change the subject. The unmistakable Shinra logo was on the screen, catching the attention of the four in the basement.  
  
"President Amunet Shinra's Five Point Program," a female announcer began, the number and each point appearing below the logo as she spoke, "includes the reconstruction of the destroyed mako reactors and Sector Seven, the establishment of new mako reactors to further reduce the cost of mako energy, the elimination of the slums with a massive relocation program to move the people of the slums to the outskirts of Midgar to expand the city's borders and thus eliminate the class system, the creation of new jobs within Shinra itself to afford many opportunities for people within the company, and the establishment of another Midgar so that other areas may benefit from the progress of Midgar. As a result of the five point agenda, President Shinra's approval rating is estimated at 78% on the plate itself, and 64% beneath the plate, and his approval rating is steadily on the rise as he wins over more support with promises of a brighter tomorrow for the citizens of Midgar. In response to critics who claim that he is untrustworthy if he never shows his face, President Shinra has called his first press conference for next week, where it is believed he will win even more support."  
  
"Bullshit!" Barret shouted, smacking the television. It fizzled out for a moment, then the picture returned, tuned into an update about Chocobo racing. "All he's doin' is bullyin' the people of the slums outta their land and outta his sight!"  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "I don't know. He sounds like an okay guy. For someone who is killing the Planet, anyway."  
  
"Ain't you payin' attention?!" Barret fumed. "He's just brainwashin' the rich and bullyin' the poor!"  
  
"Barret, calm down," Tifa said, making sure it sounded like a suggestion and not an order. "I'd hate to say this...what if Yuffie's right? Maybe President Amunet Shinra doesn't know that mako energy will kill the Planet. Maybe he honestly thinks he's doing better for the people of Midgar. For everyone. Just because the company is bad doesn't mean everyone involved in it is."  
  
"Then how come no one's seen his damn face?!" Barret cried in outrage, no believing he was hearing this from Tifa. He stomped over to the jukebox, causing Tifa to step off of it. "I'm goin' back upstairs. If any of you feel like savin' this Planet, then you can join me!" With that, he rode the platform up into the bar.  
  
"Do you really think he could be a good guy?" Yuffie asked Tifa.  
  
Tifa shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling a little discouraged. We saved the world once just to have Shinra reappear. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe this really is the time for the end of the Planet and all we're doing is delaying the inevitable. What do you think, Cloud?"  
  
Cloud, who had been examining the TV carefully, didn't look at either of the girls as he spoke. "President Shinra...he knows something..."  
  
ooooooooo  
  
President Amunet Shinra wasn't surprised to step into the 64th floor laboratory and see Professor Jozene Sakir sitting at a desk, tying a tourniquet around her own upper-arm., sleeves of her lab coat already rolled up past her elbows and a syringe grasped between her teeth. Upon hearing someone enter, the woman dropped the syringe and jumped, reaching for something in her with her left hand lab coat before realizing who it was.  
  
"Don't ever do that!" Sakir shrieked, before realizing who it was. "Please. Sir."  
  
"Right. Don't forget who signs your paychecks," Amunet said with a nod, taking a seat without being invited. Pretending the president wasn't there, Sakir continued flicking her own arm until a vein that wasn't sclerosed from repeated injections appeared on the surface. "So what's the data on the project?"  
  
The scientist made a "one moment" gesture with her finger, recorded something on the paper next to her, and then slid the needle containing a cloudy orange substance into the vein, injecting it slowly. She noted something else, slid the paper into a green folder next to her, and then drew out a black one. "Let me see...male, 49.8 centimeters, 3083 grams."  
  
"Healthy?" Amunet urged.  
  
Sakir shrugged. "Well, that depends on your definition. Is he going to be able to live, eat, breathe, walk, and talk on his own? Yeah, sure. But you had us intentionally breed some weakness into him, so he's going to be fragile. You'll have to be cautious about the outside stimuli he's exposed to. We can't monitor his exact physical ability or power levels until he gets a little older, but where it stands now you got what he wanted: if he has even a fraction of the power Sephiroth had, he'd destroy himself if he tried to use it. He'd probably take out a few people with him, but hey, you can't win'em all." She tossed the folder toward the president and opened a sealed container, drawing out a cookie and offering the container. "Cookie?"  
  
"I wouldn't eat anything that came out of your lab," Amunet said, surveying the data.  
  
Sakir nodded. "Ah. Smart move. Was hoping I'd soften the blow."  
  
Blue eyes met the glassy black eyes of the scientist. "What blow?"  
  
Sakir sighed. "Apparently we all underestimated the power of Jenova. We know mako and Jenova can cause an increase in physical strength. I was almost sure I had limited that. But in the two weeks since he was born, the project's muscle mass has increased nearly 25%. Bone structure has shown an 18% improvement, and he's increased in weight by about 42%. Right now I am chalking this up to 'babies grow fast', but this is just a little too fast. We could try to stop it or slow it down, but with the preexisting weakness you had us program into him he probably wouldn't survive such an attempt and we'd be back at square one. And even if you wanted to try again from scratch, there's only so many women able to bear children working for this company, myself included. You'll run out of volunteers and people to force sooner or later, and it'd be a nightmare getting someone from outside of Shinra involved." She took a bite of the cookie, looked at her arm, then opened her green folder to jot something down. A thin trail of blood was leaking from where she injected herself, but she made no movement to wipe it away.  
  
The president sighed with exasperation, looking over the contents of the folder with narrowed eyes. "And is there anything we can do? This project was coming close to a breakthrough, but we can't take the risk of bringing another Sephiroth into the world. You can understand my dilemma."  
  
"You want my professional opinion?" Sakir asked. "I've been against this from the beginning. Ever take a look at Hojo's notes? The Jenova Project broke every scientific, legal, and moral protocol that you can think of and then some. The things that went on make me sick. I wanted to wash my hands of this, and I make it no secret the only reason I got on board was because you promised to make me head chairperson of Scientific Research. I should have known that you'd only offer the job to someone as crazy and unpopular as me for a reason. You claim you want to prevent the mistakes of your predecessors, but with all due respect, Sir, practically the first thing you did upon coming into office was duplicate their greatest and most fatal error. My solution? Wash your hands of the whole thing. And destroy this...thing. What we're doing is twisted and cruel. Quit while you're ahead."  
  
Amunet stood up, eyes still narrowed in anger. "And with all due respect to you, professor, you're the last person I want to hear advice in ethics from, considering what you spend all your time and funding doing. This project is your job, and you'd do well not to forget that. We are not aborting this project, not now and not ever, so you'd do well to think of a way to make it work if you value your position here."  
  
As the president left, Sakir narrowed her eyes and thought unpleasant thoughts before turning her attention, once again, to her arm and her cookies.  
  
ooooooooo  
  
Kaji was staring longingly outside the room, the door wide open but his orders keeping him from making that final step outside. Although he was wearing his dark blue Turks uniform, the elder Turk standing behind him was dressed casually in a loose beige sweater, holding a bundle wrapped in a mint green blanket. Once in a while Kaji's dark eyes would face the woman and baby with scorn before he continued his "guard duty".  
  
"This sucks," Kaji said bitterly, unclipping his sunglasses from his blazer again and chewing on the frames.  
  
Zanya shrugged, holding the bottle as the baby nursed contentedly. "Orders are orders," she said plainly. However, it had been Zanya's suggestion that Kaji be assigned as her partner for now. The president had been hesitant to allow it, as not many Turks were around that could report for labor- intensive work detail, but had eventually relented with the caveat that Kaji could be reassigned at any time to report to another job where his youth and vigor as well as his skills would be an asset. Seeing that the young Turk just planned to stand there all night, she sighed. "Come in and close the door, please."  
  
It must have been the "please" from his superior that made Kaji raise an incredulous eyebrow, but he did as he was told, stepping into the tiny room that was set up to look like a very dull and monochromatic nursery. He continued to look out the window at the hall, however, obviously longing for action elsewhere. Zanya almost felt guilty for putting in the request for him to be assigned with her, especially since she couldn't keep him innocent and away from the action forever. It just pained her to see a boy that seemed so young lose the last of his innocence.  
  
"Hey, you ever been to Wutai?" Kaji asked suddenly, conversationally.  
  
Zanya smiled, but it was a distant, humorless smile. "Yes. I was stationed there during the war," she said absently, taking the bottle away from the baby in her arms. He looked up at her with expectant, glowing green eyes.  
  
Kaji nodded. "Thought you might have been. But since it wasn't that long ago I thought maybe you were stationed somewhere else. I have no clue how long you've been around."  
  
Zanya laughed a little, then rested the baby on her shoulder to burp him. "I've been around almost as long as Shinra itself. I'd been with SOLDIER quite a while when the war began, though. I was a unit leader and took quite a few hits for my men. I lost my eye then."  
  
This seemed to intrigue the young man, who grabbed the only other seat in the room. "I always wondered what they did with the body parts that got cut off of people in accidents or in battle."  
  
Zanya shrugged, getting up to move the baby into the crib. As soon as she was sure he was secure, she sat back down in the rocking chair, leaning forward to resume the conversation in earnest. "Well, Hojo- if you can remember him- red lined most of the members of SOLDIER to his care if they were injured. He was adamant about that. He liked to get his hands on our body parts. When I came out of the anesthesia I saw him arguing with the field surgeon about my eye. I don't know if he ever got his hands on it or not, or why the surgeon couldn't or wouldn't give it up. But there was an joke going around that he was using the 'spare parts' to try and build a new SOLDIER in his spare time. There might have been some truth to that, unfortunately. He was...a disturbed man."  
  
Kaji shuddered. "Like I told Reno the other night: I saw him twice, and that was enough. The stories I've heard..."  
  
Zanya sighed. "Sadly, most of them were true. I have a feeling him becoming chairperson of the Scientific Research Department had as much to do with his lack of morals and ethics as it did his breakthroughs during the first Jenova project. I also think Sakir was made his replacement for the same reason he was hired: because she's willing to do things any self-respecting scientist wouldn't."  
  
Kaji shook his head. "Damn, Shinra was screwed up for a while." He met Zanya's eye again. "Did you like Hojo?"  
  
She laughed bitterly. "No one liked Hojo. Not even the president. People objected to him- and if they worked in Shinra, they weren't seen for much longer after they did- and people tolerated him. Some poor, misguided souls even grudgingly respected him. The only person who may have come close to actually liking him would have to be Professor Gast, who worked with him when he was the chair of the Science Department and apparently thought very highly of Hojo's abilities. I, unfortunately, had to tolerate him. He spent a lot of time with the members of SOLDIER, so I had no choice."  
  
Kaji seemed to ponder this for a moment. Zanya had to wonder why he had the sudden preoccupation with the late scientist. All she knew was that she wanted to change the subject. "You would have been around Wutai during the war, if memory serves me right. So tell me, what were things like on the other side?"  
  
"I was sorta around then," Kaji said. "I was around when it started. I have eight brothers and sisters. The oldest stayed to fight, and those that couldn't ran off with the youngest. I was one of the youngest, so I had to run for it." He held up his right hand to show that the tip of his pinky was missing. "My 'war injury', as I call it. Got it slammed in a door on the ship taking us away and ripped it clean off. By the time I got back to Wutai the war was over, my father was dead, and my mother was tending to my siblings that stayed. Needless to say, me getting involved with the Shinra wasn't a popular decision with my friends and family."  
  
"I'd imagine not," Zanya said with a nod. Although she had avidly supported the war at the time, in hindsight and in the wake of the consequences she was seriously regretting her own involvement in it, at the very least. "That's a big family you have there. And no one is there to support you?"  
  
Kaji shook his head. "Nope. They all think I'm a traitor. Sometimes I regret going to Shinra. I think about the reasons I joined and weigh them against the reasons I left...you know, I am still not sure why I joined. All I know was that Wutai was really starting to suck after the war and the bigger a tourist trap it became, the more down everyone got. Midgar promised excitement, and about the only way to survive in Midgar these days is to be born there or have involvement in the Shinra. Plus it's nice to get a 'good job' and a promotion when I do well. I was so damn excited when I was offered a position with the Turks..." He laughed somewhat bitterly. "It kinda hurt not to have anyone to brag about it to. If I bragged to the other Turks, they'd think I was being a kid. If I bragged to the other soldiers, they'd think I was being a jerk. And I certainly couldn't tell my family. That'd make for a wonderful call home: 'hey Mom, guess what? I'm now part of Shinra's elite kidnapping and assassination team!'"  
  
Zanya sighed. The more Kaji talked, the more she wanted to lock him away somewhere and be a better mother to him than she had been to either of her sons. To keep him out of the company and the army's grasp, like she'd been too foolish to do for her offspring. To pat him on the head and tell him he was a good boy. But she had a feeling that, as young and vulnerable as Kaji seemed to her, he wanted nothing more than to be treated and respected as an adult.  
  
"Do you have any kids?" Kaji asked suddenly, leaning against the changing table next to the chair. His sunglasses were no longer in his hand, and his dark eyes were facing the floor. From them, Zanya could tell he was feeling a combination of boredom, homesickness, and sadness.  
  
After a few quiet moments, Zanya nodded. "Yes, two. My oldest is a little older than you, and my youngest is a little younger. Assuming I have your age right, from the way you describe the war."  
  
This seemed to pique Kaji's interest. "What are they like?"  
  
Zanya smiled slightly, a rather sad smile. "They're very different from one another. Sener, my oldest, is a big, strapping boy. He wasn't much for bookish things, but he was a natural born leader and a decent tactician. I wasn't surprised that he entered the army or that he got to such a high rank as he did. But Uriel...he wasn't that big. Rather delicate, in fact. He wasn't much for physical activity, although he took to Materia and magic fairly well. His only real physical talent was he had an ability more commonly called 'Limit Break', where when he was pushed far enough he would have a short burst of adrenaline that allowed him access an ability he couldn't otherwise. But he tended to hide that part of himself, because the Shinra were fascinated by it, especially Hojo. He was much more into books and learning. He was a scholar and wanted to be a scientist. Keeping him out of Shinra's Science Department was one of the hardest things I ever had to do and I always feared he would resent me for it, but I didn't want either of my sons to be at the mercy of Hojo. When he told me he was joining the army as well, I was sincerely shocked. Some part of me wonders if he did it to earn my approval, knowing that I was so active in the Shinra military and his brother was upholding that tradition..." Realizing she was unloading her shortcomings as a mother onto a boy young enough to be one of her sons, she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I still keep in touch with Sener. Uriel used to call me often, but he's in the middle of his year and a half sequester period where he will train rigorously to enter either SOLDIER or the Turks. He's hoping for the latter, or so he said last time I heard from him. Admittedly, that was a while ago."  
  
"Sener and Uriel?" Kaji asked. He chuckled a bit. "Do you resent your kids? You must have something against them to give them names like that..."  
  
Zanya also laughed a little. "They mean something, at least." She stood up and walked over to the crib. "And I am thinking that he should be Ridwan..."  
  
Kaji shrugged. "Hey, I'm not the one who has to live with that name."  
  
ooooooooo  
  
Night and day tended to blend into one another in Vincent's world of darkness. Lost to his deep sleep once more in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, trying to shut out the outside world while his past nightmares replayed over and over in his subconscious, he had no reason to believe he would be disturbed again. But then again, he hadn't expected to be disturbed the last time, either. And this time it wouldn't be nearly as pleasant...  
  
The creature that crept into the locked room seemed to have a purpose, discarding the key in a corner as it did slid inside like a shadow, all darkness and shadow except for a pair of glowing green eyes. Yanking off the lid of the coffin, it froze for a moment over the still, sleeping form, contemplating for a moment, it seemed, the still and nearly lifeless contents.  
  
Finally, after the moment of silent contemplation, it drew out a dagger, silver muted from the lack of light, with three glowing green orbs embedded in the hilt. Raising the dagger in a two-handed grip, the figure poised over the body, aiming for the heart....  
  
And in a flash, several things happened. Vincent's eyes opened wide, taking in the form preparing to stab him. Instinct kicked in, and he jumped from the coffin, perching on the back for a moment as he drew his gun. A few shots were fired, and a second dagger emerged, this one with two green orbs and a blue one. Vincent, in his assessment of Materia, also noticed two red ones dangling on silver chains from the right hear, and two more green ones from the left. But the assessment barely registered as twin daggers lunged at his form, and he had to flip to escape the blades.  
  
"Who are you?" Vincent asked, gun still gripped tightly in his right hand, claws clicking as he clenched and unclenched the left one.  
  
The green eyes narrowed in the darkness, and a feral growl escaped the throat of his assailant. "Die!" they shouted, their voice surprisingly light and young sounding as he lunged forward, the dagger in his left hand igniting. With a flick of his wrist, the fire spell was launched in Vincent's direction, and the movement to dodge sent him out into the hallway outside of the room. He fired more shots, and a surprised yelp came from within the room, but green light from the cure spell still surrounding them, the attacker was back out in full force, driving Vincent further down the hall and into the lab.  
  
An ice spell struck Vincent, and he groaned in pain. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but fought the beast within him that was striving to escape as he accessed his own Materia, implanted into his gun. He cast bolt, and it seemed to connect as the assailant cried out. But again, he wasn't down for long as he ran the rest of the way into the lab, illuminated by the abandoned Macho tanks and the slivers of moonlight that streamed in through the small windows near the ceiling of the room.  
  
For the first time Vincent saw his attacker: a teenage boy. He couldn't have been much older than sixteen or seventeen years old, eyes glowing Macho green and skin seeming pale in contrast to his shoulder-length, wavy black hair and all-black outfit. Tight black pants, black turtleneck, open black trench coat with shining silver buckles...and the look in his eyes was one of pure hatred and loathing, and something less than human.  
  
Vincent tried shooting at the boy again, and again the boy grunted as the shots tore his side. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a blue bottle and ripped the cork out with his teeth, drinking the potion and throwing it aside carelessly. Suddenly he was on top of Vincent, lashing out with inhuman speed as he rode the flood of adrenaline through his veins, driving Vincent closer and closer to his own Limit Break. Daggers tore at his skin, and he knew that soon enough he'd have no choice but to shift if he wanted to heal himself quickly to survive.  
  
The rush of adrenaline fading out of the boy, Vincent was able to throw him off with inhuman strength as he finally felt his control slip. It was like fire burning through his veins as he shifted into his beast-like alternate form and lunged at the boy with as much aggression as had been displayed toward him. Sensing that this was more for him to handle on his own, the boy lept up for the small windows in the basement, crashing through them and onto the ground outside.  
  
The rush of adrenaline faded, and with it the beast that had overcome Vincent. Once again in his human guise, he looked up at the broken window, stepping through the broken glass and contemplating giving chase for the boy. But he seemed to have long faded into the night.  
  
Just what had that been all about? And why would someone so young want him dead?  
  
End of Chapter Two 


	3. Masks, Donned and Discarded

Disclaimer- When these morphed into my author's notes as well, I shall never know. Anyway, same as the last chapters with a brief note: just replayed the Temple of the Ancients in the game and Tseng is sitting in the entrance when they get back. Before putting in the Keystone, if you talk to him he says "I'm still alive". I am under the impression that what Aerith saw in the fountain thing was a flashback to what happened to Tseng. Anyway, my point is that if he could get past all those puzzles to crawl back to the entrance, it's not so inconceivable that he could crawl the last few yards back out before the Temple collapsed into the Black Materia. And when you meet Elena at Icicle Inn she says "you worked over my boss pretty good", causing Cloud to speak in his own defense. She implied Tseng was still alive. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

**Second Coming**

**By A Guy Named Goo**

**Chapter Three: Masks, Donned and Discarded**

**Special Thanks to Sqwiggley for beta'ing for me**

It seemed like the entire world was gathering to view the press conference and the revelation of the new Shinra president. At the very least, all of Midgar was. People in the slums who didn't have televisions went to bars and other public places to watch the television there, or went over to neighbors' homes, or stood out on the street when there was access to a public screen there. It wasn't what President Shinra had to say that had captured the attention of the public, however: it was actually seeing what their new leader looked like that had drawn everyone together and around their television sets.

At AVALANCHE headquarters, Yuffie and Cloud had once again taking their places in the beanbag chairs, while Barret as on the table in the center of the room. Tifa was sitting on a chair at the table, and Cid was across the room sitting in another chair (between profanities, they had gathered something about Shera and a broken television). Vincent was lurking in the hall, having decided against going back to sleep when someone was making an attempt on his life, but after hearing the state of affairs regarding Shinra he had decided to get a glimpse of the new enemy as well.

"When's this thing gonna start?" Barret asked, glaring daggers at the television as if that would make the press conference start sooner. "Just like the Shinra to keep people waitin' after they get'em all worked up..."

"It's not supposed to start for another five minutes," Tifa pointed out, consulting the clock on the wall. "Look, some people are already showing up..."

Everyone leaned forward a little as the camera zoomed in on the line of figures that were marching to the seats lined up behind the podium: a man in a neat gray suit with graying, tastefully cut black hair, narrow blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed gray mustache; a man wearing a brown suit with a green tie with brown hair surrounding a bald spot and wife-framed glasses; a tall, scrawny, and oddly bird-like woman with short, slightly spiked steel gray hair, beady black eyes, and a white lab coat with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows; a bored looking young man with his red dark hair tied back in a ponytail and green eyes wearing a dark blue suit; a tall, slender woman with short blonde hair that framed her face and just barely touched the back of her neck and blue eyes, wearing a black suit with a double-breasted jacket; a bald man in a red suit with a profound limp and wild gray eyes; and lastly, a man in a white suit with a black trench coat on over it, his brown hair messed up beyond taming and his eyes covered with aviator sunglasses. All seven figures sat down in the chairs in the order that they came in.

"So who do you think is who?" Yuffie asked, examining the people who had just stepped in.

"Well, the one in the lab coat has to be the head of the Science Department," Cloud said plainly, squinting to see the figures as the camera zoomed out to show all of them sitting in a row.

"Thank you, Captain Fucking Obvious," Cid said bitterly. "Think they brought back the Space Program? Better not have. They'll all be shit outta luck if they think they can find a goddamn pilot even half as good as I am!" No one acknowledged Cid's tirade, mostly because he'd already let his objection to a new Space Program be known multiple times.

"So which one do you think is the president?" Tifa asked, also going over her options.

"That guy there on the end," Barret ventured. "He looks all cocky and presidential, damn bastard..."

"I'm going with the old guy with the bad comb over," Yuffie wagered. "Presidents are always some old, ugly guy that can't get anyone to like them any other way."

"Rufus wasn't," Cloud pointed out.

Tifa nodded. "I am going with the guy in the sunglasses. I think he's trying to throw us off."

The man with the graying hair that Barret had bet on stood up, and the crowd of reporters and camera men fell silent.

"Heh, told ya," Barret said smugly, only to get shushed by Tifa.

"Thank you all for coming," the man said, his voice a droning monotone that promised his speech would be a long and boring one. "The press has always played an integral part in educating the masses, and with a topic as important as the future of Shinra, Inc. and the people it serves, your importance is doubled- no, tripled." Below the man appeared the name "President Amunet Shinra" as he continued to drone on. "As we enter into a new age, in the wake of the most devastating Crisis our world has ever seen, the people have shown a need for a new leader. A strong and capable leader that can serve and protect the people as well as be served and aided by the people, and we thank you for choosing Shinra as that leader. In these times of need, in a time were faith in the company may be waning, it means a lot that you would set aside the sins of the fathers and look toward the future and the hopes that these sons and daughters of the old company promise to bring. And we promise not to fail you in this, your hour of need. We will hold your hands as you rebuild your lives and offer our aid whenever possible." He paused, and some applause was heard from the audience. He closed his eyes and nodded. "And it is the great honor that I, Vice-President Wilton Freely, have been given to introduce the leader for our new age, President Amunet Shinra."

All of Midgar seemed to ripple with surprise as Freely took his seat once more, and the blonde woman stood up, rising to the podium. Her blue eyes sparked with a fiery intensity as she took her place behind the microphones, waiting for the reports to stop whispering amongst themselves. When the voices died down, she began to speak, her voice reverberating with the passion that had always made the Shinra so great at making speeches.

"If it is one thing my critics have right, it is that in this time were you have chosen your new leader, it is not a time for masks and pretenses," Amunet started. "It pained me to adopt such a ruse, to hide myself from the public, but I had to be certain that the people would accept me for their leader based on my capability and what I promise and deliver, not dismiss me based on my sex. I wanted to insure that you were ready to welcome not a foolish old man as the father of your future, but a fierce and determined mother. I did not lie to you, but for deceiving you I sincerely apologize and I plan to make up for my misleading you by my acts. For that is what I am here to talk to you about today: what I plan to do for you all. What I want to do to help you through this difficult time and onward, for we can all agree that this is the dawn of a new era."

Amunet paused for a moment as the reporters snapped her picture, then she continued on. "Long, long ago, before mako was discovered, before Shinra was as much a guiding force as a weapons development company, a man named Meyer Shinra stood in an empty field and gazed at the land around him, and what he saw was this: a city where all those who wished to be protected and served by Shinra and it's wealth could live in equality and harmony. A city divided into towns and communities, where people would help one another and work with one another. And he accomplished his dream with the establishment of Midgar.

"But unfortunately, his dream was not to last: future generations and the discovery of mako lead to the establishment of Midgar's strictly defined society of classes. Those who invested in mako and became wealthy built on the backs of those who hadn't the money nor the foresight to invest, and the towns lost their names and their sense of identity. The rich shamelessly exploited the people of the slums, and my own predecessors were not any better, I will admit. In fact, they committed some of the worst infractions against the people. I will not defend their actions. No, I am here today to join you in condemning them. However, it is their mistakes and their downfall that I will rebuild Midgar as Meyer Shinra once imagined it: a place where everyone could live equally. And eventually, when this dream is realized, we will set up another, similar Utopian society elsewhere so that others may benefit.

"What I ask for today is your trust. As a way of extending the proverbial olive branch to the people of the slums, and to atone for the wrongs that were committed against them in the past, I announce today that with the completion of two new reactors, both taxes and mako prices can be reduced by half, and the cost of expanding Midgar will be shouldered entirely on the 'nobles' who robbed you of your land and your livelihood before. After all, it makes no sense to take money from those who do not have it and spare those that do.

"Also, before I open the floor to questioning, I would like to introduce the men and woman who will stand with me during this new age." Amunet turned to face the line of people sitting behind her. "First is Vice-President Wilton Freely, who you have already met." Mild applause as the man stood up and sat back down. "Next to him is the head of Urban Development, someone you will be seeing a lot of in the days to come and who I will be working with directly, Orville Melchoir." More applause accompanied the man with the bald spot as he stood up, bowed slightly, and sat back down. "Next is someone who will play an integral part in improving Midgar and the world at large with her brilliant research, and who already has begun a project that promises to bring the people happiness and wealth beyond their wildest dreams, our head of the Scientific Research Department, Professor Jozene Sakir." The bird-like woman in the lab coat stood, gave a slight wave, and sad down as applause followed her. "And beside her is someone who I hope you can trust for defense, and not for the twisted purpose that my predecessors had established for this office, the new head of Public Maintenance and Order, Sharma Hammond." The man with the red hair seemed to wince as his name was spoken (and no one in AVALANCHE headquarters could blame him) as he stood, gave a mock salute, and sat down to applause. "To protect us during future crises, which Gods willing will not happen in our lifetimes, I have changed the duties of this office. No longer will the people be strong-armed by Shinra, but they will truly feel protected. The new head of Weapons Development, Berk Caerbhall, will be in charge of that." The bald man with the limp barely stood long enough to be seen, before sitting down once more. "And although it is some time away, one successful space launch as renewed our vigor for space exploration, and once our plans are more solidified expect to see much more of our head of the Space Program and pilot extraordinaire, Elrond Sterling." The man with the aviator glasses stood up smiling and waved at the reporters, sitting down after receiving his fill of applause. In AVALANCHE headquarters, Barret and Cloud had to physically restrain Cid to keep him from attacking the television with his spear.

"Thank you again for your tremendous support of me and my campaign," Amunet continued. "The floor is now open for questions." She pointed to a reporter that was close to the front row.

"President Shinra, Sir...Ma'am-" Some chuckling broke out through the reporters.

"Sir is fine," Amunet said with a smile.

"President Shinra, Sir, one of the five points in your famous Five Point Agenda is to relocate the people of the slums to the outskirts of Midgar. Where do you propose to get the money and the land for this?"

"An excellent question. The added taxes on the Plate will fund the massive relocation program after the reconstruction program is finished. Most of the land around Midgar is owned by Shinra, anyway, and barring a sudden population increase we have more than enough land to partial out to the residents of the slums. Next question, from you in back with the green hat?"

A woman in a green hat stepped forward slightly. "Yes, President Shinra, just curious: once the people of the slums are relocated, what are your plans for the areas below the Plate?"

Amunet nodded, looking down at the podium for a moment before looking up, meeting the eyes of the reporter. When she smiled, the sheer amount of charisma she possessed washed over the room. "We will be completely industrializing the areas below the plate, which will both strengthen the plate itself and make mako reactors faster and more efficient. The entire city would cost comparatively less to power, and the savings would be passed on to the people. You, sir, in the blue coat..."

The man held the microphone of his recording device out. "President Shinra, Sir, what if people don't want to leave the slums?"

The people at AVALANCHE headquarters leaned forward, definitely interested in the answer to this question.

Amunet didn't even seem ruffled, however. "It is important that the area below the slums be completely...evacuated, if you will. The incident in Sector Seven has shown us that life below the Plate is far too dangerous to risk. While we understand the people have a certain amount of pride in their land and we are very grateful to their allegiance to Midgar through the years, in spite of the horrible class system that rose on their property, we cannot let the objections of a few get in the way of the better good for all. I am not aiming for a 100% approval rating, and I understand some of my projects will not be appreciated in my lifetime, but you can't win them all. Any more questions?"

"I have a question!" a loud female voice said from the back of the room. Everyone turned to face the source, who continued to speak even though she hadn't been acknowledged. The cameras tried to turn to focus on her, but no one could seem to find her. "What about the issue of Shinra killing this planet? What of the immeasurable damage to it your projects will cause? And will it be worth the cost? You are not a leader. You are foolish, trying to claim to be God when our real, true God is hidden deep within your soulless corporation, gathering power to rise up once again! And what say you, President Amunet Shinra? What say you when your beloved company comes crashing around you when our true God rises to his rightful place once more!"

The reporters began to part so that the speaker could be obvious to everyone. Standing in the circle that had been cleared was a young woman, incredibly pale with white hair cut into a neat bob. She wore a black trench coat that didn't have sleeves, and though belted in the center so that it looked like a dress she still wore black leggings and black high-heeled boots. Shiny, patent black leather gloves with the fingers cut off extended up to her upper arms, and her eyes were concealed by dark sunglasses. In her hair was a hairclip with four red orbs, and another red orb was attached to a choker around her neck. She had several earrings, but unlike Vincent's assailant they didn't seem to have any Materia on them. Instead, she had an armlet on either arm; two green orbs, a blue, and a violet on one arm, and a green, a blue, a red, and two yellow on the other.

"Security," Amunet said into her microphone, but before any of the guards could come to the woman she raised her hand. One of the red orbs on her hairclip began to glow softly, and a symbol appeared on the ground before her. The reporters scattered away just in time for the demon to leap from it and through the floor, fire spilling from its mouth.

"That is your target, Ifrit! Destroy her!" the woman screamed.

Amunet ducked the blast of fire, as did the people standing behind her, the Barrier placed around the podium in case of an attack holding back the brunt of it. Sakir was the first to recover, standing up and reaching with her left hand into her coat. She drew out a pistol with a rather long barrel, and after making sure it was loaded, she aimed it at the demon. Amunet also stood up, shouting "Get her!" over the commotion of reporters running away and cameras clattering to the floor. She also reached for something, fumbling in her pocket for a moment before pulling out a flat, wedge-shaped object. Pressing a button, it turned into a razor-sharp ring that she threw at the demon, Sakir shooting for all she was worth next to the president.

Finally, Ifrit growled in rage and sunk back into the floor. When the commotion had died down, Amunet realized that the woman who had summoned the beast was long gone.

oooooooooo

For a long time, there was silence in the AVALANCHE headquarters, the television airing nothing but static with some muffled voices from the abandoned microphones. Finally, the action cleared entirely and all was silent, a card reading "TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES" appearing on the screen in place of the static with the familiar Shinra logo emblazoned on it.

Barret was the first to speak, exclaiming "What the holy livin' hell was _that_?!"

No one could give him an answer that was only recapping what they had just witnessed. The camera hadn't cut out until after Ifrit had been summoned and it's first attempt at the president's life. After that, they could only hear Amunet's orders above the commotion.

Another awkward silence fell over the room once more as they all tried to process this. Finally, Cloud spoke: "What do you think that girl meant by their God is hidden in Shinra?"

More silence. Finally, Tifa leaned forward and put her hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing you have to worry about, Cloud."

"How the hell do you know?" Barret asked bitterly. "Shinra's tryin' to make himself- herself- a saint an' you just _know_ who is gonna get blamed for an attack on her: us."

Tifa took her hand off Cloud's shoulder and sat back, looking at the larger man sitting on the table. "I don't know. But I don't think we should be getting worried about anything yet."

"And I think you should," Vincent said quietly. Everyone averted their gaze toward the man in the hall, who was facing the floor. "Someone tried to kill me. Someone in black with a lot of Materia. Now someone in black with a lot of Materia just tried to kill President Shinra. It can't be a coincidence. I think we have to consider the possibility that any one of us could be a target next. If they are targeting people with connections to Shinra, then it could be Cloud or Cid."

More of that disheartening quiet. Then Yuffie jumped to her feet. "Come on! We beat Sephiroth! We can take on a bunch of black-wearin' punks with some fancy Materia no problem!"

But no one seemed too inspired by these words.

oooooooooo

It was blatantly obvious that President Amunet Shinra was not happy as she stomped into her office on the 65th (and highest) floor, the chairs of the various Shinra departments following her, as were several guards. She closed the door on the guards after all of the executives were gathered in her office, taking a seat in her chair behind her desk and swiveling away, she stared out of the window, which overlooked the reconstruction of Sector Seven.

"Sir?" Freely asked after a few tense moments passed in the office.

"AVALANCHE was responsible," she said suddenly, not acknowledging who she was talking to.

"AVALANCHE? Sakir asked. "But they-"

"I know it wasn't them!" Amunet snapped, turning around and leaning forward on the desk. "I don't _care_. I have worked too long and too hard. I have rebuilt this company in the face of great adversity, and right now I am at a crucial point of my presidency that will decide whether the people embrace me or loathe me. AVALANCHE is an enemy that the public recognizes, but know we can deal with. If they believe it is someone new that could threaten their very way of life again, and that Shinra may be powerless to stop it, then all of that might as well be thrown away! They'll never trust us!" She turned to the redheaded man, who now looked far from bored. In fact, he looked concerned (most likely for his job). "Hammond!"

"Yes, Sir?" Hammond asked nervously.

"Make AVALANCHE public enemy #1 in the city of Midgar and spread this news to every town, city, and area that receives Mako electricity urging them to do the same. Mobilize SOLDIER and stress that anyone who turns a member of AVALANCHE over to them, dead or alive, stands to receive a substantial cash reward. Offer another reward for information leading to the location of their headquarters. Add that anyone who is harboring a member of AVALANCHE will have to answer to the Turks," she ordered. She glared at the rest of the chair people gathered before her. "You will all do your part to make sure that the Neo-Jenova Project or these....terrorists do not become public knowledge. This is an internal affair and will be dealt with as such. And those of you who compromise that will certainly wish that you had never even entertained thoughts of betraying our company. You're all in a position to gain a great deal, and you would be stupid to give that all up. Melchoir!" The bald man jumped at the mention of his name, but Amunet didn't give him an opportunity to speak. "Go down to Public Relations. Get a press release and wanted posters made up. I trust you'll come up with an adequate but not exorbitant reward. We'll pay whatever it takes to gain the public's trust, but if I throw away too much money I'll have to raise taxes again and they'll hate us once more. Now, you all have your jobs. Go do them!"

The chair people began to file out. Before leaving entirely, however, Sakir froze in front of the door to the office as the president lit a cigar. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you going to be doing?"

Amunet puffed her cigar for a moment, before rounding her hard blue gaze on the scientist. "You're overstepping your boundaries, _professor_. And you seem to be doing that a lot lately. Must I remind you again that your position isn't permanent?"

"Hojo wasn't the only one who had tricks up his sleeve to guarantee tenure no matter how much he pissed off his superiors," Sakir said threateningly. "I know too much to be fired, and I know things no one else does so I can't be killed without jeopardizing your precious project and any number of others. It's a simple enough question. Just answer it."

Amunet growled, chewing on the cigar. "Fine. _I_ have tickets to the symphony in Junon tonight, and I am not going to stay here and worry people. I am going to carry on with life and try to figure out a way out of this mess."

"Heavens forbid the fate of the Planet interfere with your busy schedule," Sakir said, rolling her eyes and leaving at last.

Amunet violently mashed her cigar out in an ashtray on her desk, growling again in frustration before putting her head in her hands.

oooooooooo

"Well, I think that went rather well," the young albino woman said, stepping up to another black-clad young man. This one had jet black hair that stuck up from his head like a flame, and wore black leather pants, black boots, and a black tank top with a low neckline, eyes also concealed by black sunglasses. He had two armlets on one of his arms, with several green Materia, a few blue, and one yellow one.

"You sure do have a flare for the dramatic, don't you, Rosa?" the young man asked, although he was smiling as he did.

Rosa shrugged. "I had to make it look like we were serious, didn't I? After all, we can't have our _fearless leader_ angry at the both of us, can we, Nat?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Nat scoffed. "I don't see what the hell the big deal was. I wasn't up to going so I picked a replacement. We do it all the time."

"But what the hell possessed you to send _Nicki_ after Valentine?" Rosa asked him, disbelief tingeing her words.

"I thought he could handle it!" Nat cried out defensively. "He came back from a fight in berserk and close to a limit break. You know how rare it is for him to get such ideal conditions. It seemed like a waste to just have him sleep it off."

The white-haired girl shook her head. "This has nothing to do with the fact that you've wanted to see him get killed since you met him? You sent him to his doom, and you know _he_ has some kind of bizarre affection for him. When he finds out-"

"He won't find out!" the young man snapped. "He's recovering nicely. Vinari's got him set up with some potions. He'll be up and in our way again in no time."

Rosa just shook her head. "He's supposed to be our healer and nothing else. Sending him into a fight alone was just asking for it, and when he asks me who was responsible for Nicki getting hurt, I am not going to defend you."

Nat turned to say something, but she was already gone, lost in the buildings in the slums. He sighed and slid into the shadows himself, making his way to their headquarters.

**End of Chapter Three**


End file.
